scarify

verb

Definition of scarifynext
as in to frighten
to strike with fear that foolish woman would be scarified by a mouse

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scarify Once the tree is removed from the pot, the root ball is scarified. — Martha Stewart, 2 July 2026 Some will confine their mess to pixels, but surely others will scarify the walls and stain the floors. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Sep. 2021 And some on the platform feel free enough to verbally poke a pop star or scarify Spotify. — Bill Hochberg, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scarify
  1. frighten
  2. scare
  3. terrify
  4. startle
Verb
  • For Cox and Walker, the challenge was to introduce horror-film conventions without frightening the franchise’s youngest viewers.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Guitarricadelafuente said he was initially frightened by the prospect of acting in La Bola Negra.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of frighten
Verb
  • The anti-45 campaign is trying to scare voters with a Halloween bogeyman.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Although Down was not the victim, the case definitely scared her family.
    — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of scare
Verb
  • Afterward, the boy was terrified of the police, said his mother, Colette James.
    — Rosie Cima, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • By this point, the audience knows the monster a little too well to be properly terrified of her.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrify
Verb
  • Surveillance footage & evidence Police reviewed surveillance footage in the area, which showed the two gunshot victims walking, then appear startled, according to court records.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The parents admit to some corporal punishment, but of a mild sort—the kind that might startle a child but which wouldn’t do bodily harm.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of startle

Browse Nearby Words

scarifies
scarify
scarifying
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Scarify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scarify. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of emissary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All